Extratropical Cyclone

Extratropical cyclones (ETCs) are a meteorologically complex hazard with highly variable regional manifestations. AIR models help you assess the risk, whether from wind, snow, freezing precipitation and temperatures, or the relentless clustering of storms in space and time.

Realistically capture the formation and behavior of ETCs.

AIR ETC models employ Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), a physical modeling approach that can effectively capture the complex three-dimensional structure of damaging ETC winds in time and space.

Incorporate a more realistic view of surface wind speeds in loss estimations.

Use high-resolution land use/land cover and elevation data to capture realistic winds at the surface, where exposure is at risk.

Evaluate damage by sub-peril.

In the U.S. and Canada, ETCs are often accompanied by wind, snow, sleet, and freezing temperatures, all of which damage property differently. AIR ETC models employ damage functions that capture the specific mechanisms by which each of these perils causes loss.

Understand the impact of regional climate on storms.

AIR ETC models capture the rich variation in regional storm experience, including the tendency of storms to arrive in clusters over northern Europe, the frequency of ice storms in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada, and the impact of fierce Nor'easters along the U.S.'s Eastern Seaboard.